Kaya sees song and dance in Cuba, but CUTS Fillmore Arts Center in DC

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Fillmore should close. Hardy should expand into third floor.

Why? Hardy is under-enrolled. Hardly (Hardy?) anyone from the IB area chooses to go there.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Put things in perspective. Fillmore has

Fillmore has a lovely community. Our kids have taken classes there. It's time for it just run itself as a standalone, sustainable nonprofit like Sitar Center in Adams Morgan and not a DCPS add-on service. It's been on the block for years. Nobody at DCPS wants it, so you're fighting a losing battle. It's a leftover from the era of when DCPS couldn't even get books from the warehouses by opening day.

As to Cuba, yet another example of why Bowser is CLUELESS on education. Henderson supposedly went as her "friend". It's no secret that they are not BFFs. Bowser is now Henderson's boss' boss. You really think Kaya really had a choice? I was surprised DME didn't go, but I guess Henderson has a higher media profile.

The Post article also pointed out that Kaya was none too impressed and her team saw first hand what communist indoctrination gets you; well-educated tour guides.

I'm outraged at Bowser's "more bang for the buck" comment regarding paying teachers poverty wages there. Seriously?!?! Henderson et al have been pushing for some of the highest compensation packages for teachers in DCPS. Ask anyone who is from Cuba and they'll confirm that kids are brainwashed and parents are kept out of education. Meanwhile, DCPS has a director of family engagement and does home visits, etc.

Seriously, Muriel?!?

Bowser just loves Cuba's one party state and artistic "freedom" -- as well as how effectively the government stays "on message."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The post reported the cost of the trip to DC taxpayers as $44,000. Not as high as I expected, but one penny was too much for this boondoggle of a vacation for the Mayor.

Exactly what I was thinking when I heard she was going to Cuba. What a JOKE!

[Anonymous]

If you are going to criticize Kaya and Muriel for visiting Cuba, then you might as well be upset that Ward 2 Jack Evans and at-large Vincent Orange went, too:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/feb/23/dc-looks-to-communist-cuba-for-lessons-to-improve-/?page=all

As the article points out, Cuba invests 10% of its economy in education, in order to reach its near-99% literacy rate. Bowser said one lesson she's learned from the trip is that ALL students must have access to high-quality teachers, implying that many of our students in DC do not. The article also points out that North Korea has a 100% literacy rate. There may be some lessons to be learned from the North Koreans as well.

[Anonymous]

I doubt the statistics from North Korea are accurate.

[Anonymous]

We should save Fillmore. The school my child attends has no room for an art room, music room or space to have a dance class. Yes, Fillmore is not perfect, but so much better than the "art on a cart" model. Please, it looks like all DCPS has to find is 500,000, which is a small sum, to the whole budget. How much will it cost each school in the end to hire "arts" teachers, which they won't. SAVE FILLMORE.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you are going to criticize Kaya and Muriel for visiting Cuba, then you might as well be upset that Ward 2 Jack Evans and at-large Vincent Orange went, too:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/feb/23/dc-looks-to-communist-cuba-for-lessons-to-improve-/?page=all

As the article points out, Cuba invests 10% of its economy in education, in order to reach its near-99% literacy rate. Bowser said one lesson she's learned from the trip is that ALL students must have access to high-quality teachers, implying that many of our students in DC do not. The article also points out that North Korea has a 100% literacy rate. There may be some lessons to be learned from the North Koreans as well.

I hope that this is tongue in cheek. I'll bet North Korea has just about a 0% truancy rate also.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: We should save Fillmore. The school my child attends has no room for an art room, music room or space to have a dance class. Yes, Fillmore is not perfect, but so much better than the "art on a cart" model. Please, it looks like all DCPS has to find is 500,000, which is a small sum, to the whole budget. How much will it cost each school in the end to hire "arts" teachers, which they won't. SAVE FILLMORE.

+100

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: We should save Fillmore. The school my child attends has no room for an art room, music room or space to have a dance class. Yes, Fillmore is not perfect, but so much better than the "art on a cart" model. Please, it looks like all DCPS has to find is 500,000, which is a small sum, to the whole budget. How much will it cost each school in the end to hire "arts" teachers, which they won't. SAVE FILLMORE.

to be fair to dcps - the $600k is on top of the cost of arts teachers who would be allocated to the schools. The problem with the plan is that the schools are heavily enrolled and have no spare space or facilities for arts instruction. If our school had the space I think parents would be open to the school hiring teachers and developing its own arts program. When you think of the necessary capital investment though, Filmore looks like a bargain.

[Anonymous]

500,000 is not such a small sum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:500,000 is not such a small sum.

In comparison to what it would cost to build arts space for classes at each of the individual Fillmore schools? How much do you think that would cost? I think the Fillmore schools would be fine with ending fillmore if they had the same arts space as every other DCPS school, why won't DCPS do that?

[Anonymous]

Art on a cart. If you don't like it, lottery for a different school.

We can't afford everything people!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Art on a cart. If you don't like it, lottery for a different school.

We can't afford everything people!!!

I am not sure what you are saying. Non-Fillmore schools have great arts and music spaces, while the Fillmore schools have nothing without Fillmore. So, DCPS could choose to pay about $100,000 per school to give the Fillmore kids the same thing as every other DCPS student has, or it can end Fillmore and give them nothing. You would choose to give them nothing. That side of the equation makes sense to you?

[Anonymous]

Fillmore curriculum is fun and funky. Should be serious instruction in the basics for art, dance [ballet is the foundation], music [instruments], and voice.

Cuba has serious schools and in Havana this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCm0vfBIL38

Cuba exports artists [dance, music, etc]. In DC there are Cuban trained dancers working at the Washington Ballet - any trained down Wisconsin Ave at Ellington?

[Anonymous]

So far DcPs has not given parents any evidence that arts education is not going to be negatively effected.

Please can they show us school by school their ideas. Particularly how to over come the absence of space for music, dance classes, and painting.